Reaching New Heights
by ProjectEve
Summary: Betrayal; one word holds so much pain. Meet the betrayed Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, beloved of none. What path will he take now that he has been abandoned?
1. Chapter One

**A/N: Ok, the Chaos story, thanks Gamelover for reviewing Chapter 3 in The New Guardian of the Hunt, you gave me a reason to write this. Sorry if any of the characters seem a little OOC, I tried to create them as if they had grown a couple of years. Except Blackjack, 'cause he will always be the same friggin' amazing Pegasus he always has been. Set a few years after The Last Olympian, The Lost Hero never happened. I'm also gonna take it slow, so if the plot seems to be getting nowhere review and tell me, I'll speed it up. I just thought all the other PJ/Chaos stories were a little rushed (no offense) and thrown into the moment, so this one's gonna ease you into the whole story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO, I know, it's sad *I run away hysterically crying*, just the plot. Inspired by all other PJ/Chaos stories but not copied. **

**Chapter One: I Come Back to Home Sweet Home**

There isn't a day that goes by when I don't think of my former life. Who I was, what I had done, and who I had become. Most the time it is with hatred, sometimes with sadness. Today is my birthday, August 18th. The day it all happened. I didn't believe Luke when he said the gods were using me, but I believe him now. It was like it all happened yesterday…

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page Break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

I took a deep breath, letting it fill my lungs with the clean, salty air of the ocean. It's my favorite smell, the ocean. It's so relaxing, especially after spending hours fighting a hundred-headed dragon. A very _angry _hundred-headed dragon. Why was I fighting a mythical beast, you may ask? Well, I had to. I've been away for months from my home, completing quests to gain the respect of my girlfriend's mom. Athena, as it turned out, didn't like her daughter to date. To gain permission to, as Athena put it, _court_ Annabeth, I had to go on eight separate quests, each one harder than the last. The final one was defeating Ladon, the dragon that guarded the tree that held the immortal apples. I had to get one of the danged fruit and present it to Athena to show her what I had learned, and to gain her approval. It takes a while to cut off 99 heads, one at a time, but I did it, and now I was finally going home. I wondered what everyone was doing, since Athena had effectively kidnapped me, so no one knew where I was. I wondered if they all missed me, or ever thought about me at all.

I took the last bite of my final piece of stale bread I had. It's a good thing I was sailing home, because my food was running out fast. Right now I was on a little raft, like the one I used to get back from Ogygia. I was elated and full of pride, on top of the world. Nothing could pull me down now, because I was coming back victorious. I could finally date Annabeth in peace. Athena even gave me a ring, because I'm 18 now, an adult. She told me to use it whenever I want, and I really hope that it's soon. I love Annabeth with all my heart.

Within a few hours I could see the shoreline of Long Island, about a mile away. I let a grin creep up my face. Finally, I was home at Camp Half-Blood. As I neared the shore I couldn't wait any longer, and I dived off the side, using my powers to propel me forward. In just under a minute I reached the shore. I smiled as I walked out of the wave that crashed against the sand, placing my hands up in the universal _I'm unarmed _position. The lookout probably wouldn't even recognize me, or might not even know me. I've been gone for over a year now, and I look pretty different, with an unshaved face and long black hair that reaches down to the bottom of my neck. But I still have my sea-green eyes, which I'm grateful for. No, I'm not narcissistical **(A/N: I totally spelled that wrong)**; it's just the only thing that characterizes me as a Son of Poseidon. I'd hate to be mistaken for an Ares kid.

I didn't have anything to fear, though, as I saw the watch drop out of the tree. There were two people now; they must have changed the border watch rules. As I walked closer I saw a bow pointed at me, stretched taunt, and a tentative voice call out, "Who is it?" The person sounded shaken. I smiled. It's not every day you see a stranger walk in with the tide. This was going to be fun.

"It's Percy. Percy Jackson."

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Don't mind me, I'm just a little old Page Break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

I was sitting on a rock in the middle of the woods, with the bow and arrow still pointed at me. It had been Travis Stoll and a new Apollo camper on watch. When Travis heard my name he looked ready to fall over, his expression was freakin' priceless! He quickly jogged over with the Apollo kid, who I only recognized because of the fancy bow, and as soon he saw my face his blank expression transformed into a smile, one that only a son of the god of thieves could pull off. He clearly recognized me, and took us to a secluded spot in the woods to wait as he ran to get Chiron. So now I was stuck in the woods, on a rock, with a nervous twelve-year-old noob pointing a bow at me. Not the best situation at all, not by a long shot. I could always take the bow away, it wouldn't be that hard, but I would hate to make a bad first impression.

I watched, amused, as I counted off the seconds, wondering how long the camper could hold the bow back in firing position for. After three minutes I could see the strain on his face. His arms were shaking, and I doubted he could have gotten in an accurate shot if he tried.

"You know, if I came here on my own I won't be running anywhere." The kid nearly jumped off the ground as I spoke. I sighed. "If you want, you can put the bow down. Fire at me if I try to get up. Or you can stay there and exhaust yourself. But, of course, it's your choice, so you just go ahead and do whatever you want." I lay back on the boulder, closing my eyes and clasping my hands behind my head in a pillow. I could feel the boy's eyes staring at me. Finally I heard the _twang_ of the bowstring as the tension was released. Good, the kid showed some common sense. After a minute of uncomfortable silence, with the Apollo kid fidgeting the whole time and me resting, he spoke up.

"Are you really Percy Jackson? Like, _the _Percy Jackson?"

I chuckled inwardly. My reputation had obviously gotten around camp. "What do you mean, _the_ Percy Jackson?"

The kid was still nervous, but I could tell that the chance to tell a story brightened him right up. "Well, at the campfire Percy Jackson stories are always told. It, like, a tradition. When he-well you, I guess-was 12, he retrieved the Master Bolt from Ares when the god stole it. Then later he went to Polyphemus' island and got back the Golden Fleece, and he held the weight of the sky for Artemis and his girlfriend Annabeth." My eyebrow rose at this one, but my eyes remained closed. Annabeth wasn't my girlfriend back then, but I wish she was. Gods, I missed Annabeth and her battle strategies, the rants about construction and buildings, her nickname Seaweed Brain, and her eyes, but most of all her beautiful laugh. That laugh would brighten up my whole day. The first thing I was gonna do back at camp was see my beautiful girlfriend again. The Apollo kid was still going strong, so I tuned back in.

"…but some of his hair turned white, and then he went down into the Labyrinth and found Daedalus, and got his pet Mrs. O'Leary the Hellhound, and he led all the demigods in the battle for Olympus in the Second Titan War and won because he killed Luke, who was Chronos back then. But, like, a year ago he disappeared, and no one knows where he went. Gods, I would have given anything to meet him. He's, like, my hero." There was another awkward silence as he watched me, waiting for an answer. A while later I opened one eye and fixed him with it.

"Yup," I said, popping the P, "That's me. Although, I didn't really kill Luke. It was more like he killed himself. With a knife." I flipped my hair so he could see the gray streak in it, **(A/N: Everyone always seems to forget his gray streak from holding the sky) **and the kid's eyes got really big. I chuckled, if only he knew everything I had done. At just that moment Travis came running into the clearing, and I could hear the sound of hooves on hardened dirt clopping behind him. Thank Hades, it was Chiron. I could hear him threatening Travis that if this was a joke that it would be extra clean-up duties for a month. I was grateful to hear someone else besides Mr. Story here; it would have been torture to listen to that kid anymore. I swear he had the most annoying high-pitched voice I have ever heard.

I sat up as my old trainer cantered into the clearing. Boy, I sure missed that old centaur. He was like my rock in hard times, which I had had plenty of on my quests.

"See! I told you, it's Percy!" Travis nearly yelled with excitement. Some birds scattered from the trees above us.

When I saw Chiron in full horse glory I stood up, dusting myself off. Seeing my old friends was the best ever. I hadn't known just how much I had missed this place until now. The trees, rocks, the little creek, and even the Naiads all brought back the old memories. I decided then and there to explore every bit of camp when I got the chance, as I pulled off my signature sideways grin.

"Hey, miss me?" Laughter was ringing in my head. It was so fun to watch everyone's expressions, they all looked like I was a ghost come back from the dead…well, Underworld.

Chiron turned around, since his back was somehow to me, and gave me a look of blank shock. This lasted for about three seconds until I cracked. I burst into hysterics, doubling over. The others looked at me like I was mad.

"Oh my gods, you should have seen your face right there! I wish I had a camera, because that would have been, like, the perfect blackmail!" I started laughing like crazy all over again.

Finally Chiron was jerked out of his trance as I began to compose myself, pretty much without any success.

"Percy! My boy, is that really you? Where have you been for the past year? Travis here says you 'washed up in the tide with all the other junk'." He shot a disapproving glare at the Hermes camper, but I grinned at the joke. I don't think I've heard a joke in…well, a long time.

"Hey, Chiron. It's really me, long time no see, huh?" I watched as Chiron's eyes lit at the familiar sound of my voice. His arms opened wide as he trotted over, embracing me in a smothering hug. I could have almost sworn that I heard him sniffling, but I decided to let it go. It's not common, or even heard of, for a camper to come back from the dead. Suddenly, I felt Chiron stiffen. He pushed me away from him, taking out his bow and drawing three arrows from his quiver in the blink of an eye. Aiming strait in between my eyes he spoke.

"Prove that you are Percy, and not some imposter." I was expecting this. Chiron never just trusted anyone; it's what has kept him alive all these years.

I closed my eyes and turned, using my instincts to guide myself to face the small river flowing by. Concentrating, I imagined the water rising in a small stream from the creek, and felt a small tug in my gut as I raised my hand, palm facing out. Opening my eyes, I saw just what I had imagined. A little rope of water, about three inches thick and round was flowing all through the clearing, weaving in and out of the scenery and us. It was pretty cool, I have to admit, to see the light reflecting through the water and onto the ground, creating a wavering effect everywhere. Smiling, I guided all the water back over our heads and into the creek, where it dived back in without a ripple. I pivoted on the balls of my feet back to the audience, smirking like I had just proven them all wrong, which essentially I had.

Chiron was just standing there with amazement and joy written all over his face. It was weird, because I had never seen him this emotional before, and he knew that I had powers. Travis just looked blown away, but a little freaked out. The Apollo camper just looked plain freaked out, which I had to take another small laugh at. I guess it is pretty creepy to see water move like that with an 18-year-old supposedly telepathically controlling it.

"Percy, it is you!" Travis yelled as he ran over and gave me a hug that I returned. Boy was it great to have friends.

"Yes, Travis, it is me. I'm pretty sure I already said that." I gave him a small smile to let him know that I was joking as he blushed. I glanced at Chiron to find him composed, the only hint to his excitement a gleaming in his eye. It looked like he had come back to life, full of spring in his step.

"My boy, it is truly amazing to see you returned and well. But you must tell me, where have you been all this time?" I paused for a second to gather my thoughts before launching into my whole tale, taking almost an hour to tell. At the end my throat was sore, so I summoned some water from the creek, purifying it and shaping an orb before grabbing it with my fingertips and popping it in my mouth. Focusing in my listener's faces, I was surprised to see wariness.

"What?"

"Since when can you do that?" Travis had an almost wary note to his voice.

"During my quests I discovered many more powers, many of which I needed to survive. Levitating water is one of them, and purifying it as well." Travis now just watched me with a new look in his eye, like he was…_scared _or something.

"Relax, Travis. I'm still the same old Percy you've always known." Travis turned a beet red as I took a notice to his suspicions.

"Was I really that obvious?"

"Well…yeah."

Travis sighed. "You would think as a son of the god of thieves I would be able to hide what I was thinking better." He just looked disappointed with himself. I gave a short laugh and patted him on the back, steering him back towards where I assumed camp was. I _really _wanted to see that place now.

Chiron spoke up from behind. "As truly sorry as I am to intrude, we must first discuss the issue at hand. Percy, I would like to reveal your presence at dinner tonight, in order to keep the reunion somewhat under control." I nodded; I only expected it. Walking strait into camp wasn't the best idea, unless I wanted to be mobbed. Maybe someday, but not now; I didn't need any more drama in my life.

"I understand. But how are we going to get me into camp without being seen? If I remember correctly, there is no one else with sea-green eyes and a handsome face like mine." I grinned as Travis punched me in the arm. It was fun to be able to mess around again, with no worries of being attacked at any second.

"I believe that you can hide out on the borders of camp, just until dinner. I will come to you with a disguise, and you will accompany me at the head table until we reveal your identity."

I smiled. This was going to be so fun, watching everyone as I returned. Especially my wise girl. Annabeth, I don't know if I can wait until dinner to see her.

Travis started to laugh Chiron trotted up behind us, patting me on the back, and steering us all back to the direction of camp.

"Oh, boy, this is gonna be so much fun!" Travis rubbed his hands together and cackled, looking excited. I had to laugh. What a joker. Even Chiron was smiling.

"So then, we are agreed that we will not speak of this to the other campers. Travis has come running to retrieve me for a small forest fire, and we were required to take inventory of the items lost." Travis looked disappointed.

"So I can't tell Connor?"

"Sorry, dear boy, but no." Travis looked crestfallen, and I had to laugh at that. Both Travis and Chiron tried, but in the end we were all laughing, strolling back to camp together. I realized how long it's been since I laughed last. Probably a year, because there has not been a thing to laugh about since I left.

It's cool to be back.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page Break: Just Before Dinner~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

I was sitting on a tree branch, fifty feet in the air and looking out over camp. _My camp_, I thought with a smile, because it would always be home. I love being up this high, watching the whole world below me as if I were a giant. I watched as Pegasus **(A/N: is that how you say it plural?)** galloped into the air, beating their huge wings to gain height. I was tempted to jump on one's back as they flew past, but that would just scare them into a crash landing. And the campers. I would probably miss their backs and fall, but I don't care. Flying with my horsey friends was one of the things I missed most, the feeling of the wind in my hair and that it was nothing but me and my steed, going where we want to go. I looked out over the V formation (yeah, Pegasus fly like migrating birds) and spotted the only pure black coat, gleaming among the rest. I broke into a grin at seeing my old buddy Blackjack. Deciding to have some fun, I sent my thoughts out.

_Blackjack! _I almost burst into laughter as I saw my favorite half-horse drop twenty feet, wobbling before flying back up, swinging his head wildly from side to side.

_Boss? Yo, is that you? _

_Yup, bud. Miss me?_

Even from here, over a quarter of a mile away I heard the responding whinny. I'm glad that Blackjack missed me; he was one of my best friends on four legs.

_Hey, Blackjack, keep it down bud. No one else is supposed to know I'm here._ I quickly sent Blackjack, worried as I saw the other Pegasus look at the black horse funny. I heard through the Pegasus' mind as Blackjack neighed an excuse and began to fly in my direction, going the fastest I had ever seen him.

_Yo, boss, where are ya? Do ya have some sugar cubes for me? Where have ya been? I missed ya a lot, boss! _Tears almost flowed out of by eyes, because he was the same old Blackjack. Gods, I'm pathetic, forget I even said that. I hurriedly sent a new message to my approaching friend.

_Yo, dude, turn back, you're gonna make people think something is up! Shoot, too late. I'm sorry, but you have to fly away, no one can know where I am. Talk to Chiron, he'll explain everything! And, bud, I missed you too. I'll visit tonight!_ I started to freak out as I heard voices below me. They were close, and I couldn't afford to let anyone know I am here. I definitely didn't need that, unless I wanted the whole camp to know of my existence in three minutes flat. Word travels quickly around here, so I decided to use a new skill of mine to hide. It would be good practice anyway. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the water vapor in the air around me. I focused, feeling the familiar tug in my gut as the miniscule droplets condensed around me and bent the light waves beaming down to earth. So I was pretty much invisible to anyone and anything.

Sweet power, huh?

I watched, crouched down on my branch as two people walked below, a girl and a boy. Wait; there was a spear on her back, where have I seen that before? My eyes widened as I realized it was the same electric spear I had broken several times, sparring with _Clarisse. Oh my gods, _I thought, _Clarisse is walking in the woods with a boy! _My devilish 13-year-old instincts kicked back in, even though my mind was telling me not to jump to conclusions. They could be going to patrol, or check out something in the woods, or…_whoa, too late, _I thought as I saw Clarisse grab the guy's hand. She turned her head and started talking, because I could hear the murmurs from below. I began to grin, because if I could find out who that guy was Clarisse would _have_ to be my slave forever. Just the thought almost caused me to burst out in an evil laugh, but I had to stay hidden. Suddenly I got an idea. A _great _idea.

You see, water is everywhere. You breathe it, walk on it, and you even need to drink it to survive. This was going to be a little tricky, but I was sure I could pull it off. Still bending the water to keep myself hidden, I gathered up all the extra water I could find within half a mile, without totally drying out the air. I used all this extra stuff to make a semi-solid platform in front of me. The step was invisible, but sturdy enough to walk on, and even though it was hard to concentrate on staying invisible and condensing the water enough to keep me up, I managed to pull it off. Slowly straitening, I stepped off my branch into what would seem to be thin air but what was actually a lot of water. I hunched down on the platform to make myself smaller, slowly floating myself down until I could hear Clarisse's conversation. I floated over to the nearest branch and stepped on it, listening in on the conversation. The guy was talking, with his back facing me.

"…I know. My siblings can be such a pain in the neck too, but I love them all the same."

"Yeah…so, what did Chiron say again? I still think this is all a big prank."

"He said Percy was here…I wish, but he disappeared a long time ago. I want him to be here really bad, but the chances-they're not good. You're right; this probably is just a prank. Let's head back." So this was how I was supposed to get into camp. The guy turned around to walk away. Oh my gods, it was Chris; the two had _finally _gotten together after all these years, my boyish thoughts told me. We could all see that they were meant for each other, and now they could finally see too.

Clarisse looked…weird, for a lack of a better word. Her expression was…_no, _I thought in pure evil bliss. She looked regretful, like she wanted to say something. _Or __do__ something, _I thought. No, she wouldn't. But she did, I saw, as Clarisse took Chris' hand, spun him around, and _kissed the boy on the lips. _Oh boy, this was going on my list of epic things to blackmail with. I almost wolf-whistled then and there, but remembered at the last second I was hidden, so it came out more like a crappy gasp.

Chris spun around and looked right to the left of me as he drew his sword. Shoot, he heard me. I think it might be the perfect time to play that prank they were talking about. Putting on my best eerie voice, I creepily said, "_Whooooo dares tooooo walk in my wooodsssss?"_

I almost burst out laughing right there, because you could tell the dude was scared out of his wits. Clarisse, always being the same old Clarisse, boldly shouldered past him.

"Who are you?"

"_I am the spirit of the oldest living tree, which you are currently standing on." _Clarisse looked down to see she had hopped up on one of the roots. Quickly stepping down, she asked another question.

"What the heck is this? Travis, Connor, this isn't funny you guys. Trees can't talk. Or feel. Or care when someone steps on them." But she did look a little worried now. Chuckling under my breath, I decided to go a little further.

"_You dare to insult me? I am the greatest tree, the one and only in the world. You will feel my wrath for your stupidity!" _Now she looked freaked out, and Chris looked ready to bolt. I just couldn't hold it in and longer; I cracked, my laugh ringing through the whole forest. I released the water keeping me hidden as the two gazed up with confusion stamped onto their faces. The confusion turned into anger and amazement as they realized who had tricked them.

"_Percy?" _Clarisse spoke first, and I could hear the amazement in her voice. I nodded, and both their faces lit with a mixture of annoyance and affection. I was still about twenty-five feet in the air, so I jumped off the branch and used the vapor in the air to slow me down and guide me in an arc until I hit the ground almost parallel, running to a stop. I smiled at the two, who were still trying to pick their jaws up off the ground without much success.

"Percy! It's you, Chiron wasn't joking! Aw, man, this is so cool!" Chris was gabbing his face off, until he realized something that would change his life forever. "Uhh… just how long were you up there?" I grinned evilly and took a deep breath.

"CHRIS AND CLARRISSE STITNG IN A TREE, K-I-S…" Clarisse slapped a hand over my mouth before I could go any further. "Shut up, Kelp head! Do you want everyone to know you're here? Do you have a death wish?" I shook my head, knowing that she would murder me if it came to that. Of course, news could always _accidentally _leak out.

"Good." She took her hand from my mouth and held something up. It was a hoodie. "Put this on, Seaweed. It's your disguise." My eyebrow rose, because I loved to do that.

"This is the best Chiron could come up with? A _hoodie?_" Clarisse snorted.

"Stupid, it's all you need. You're gonna have to stay hidden for, like, fifteen minutes." I blushed as I saw the truth in her words. I yanked the hoodie from her, pulling it on and flipping the hood up. We started to walk towards the borderline of the woods, about a five minute walk. After a few minutes Clarisse broke the silence.

"Percy?"

"Yeah?"

Clarisse looked deep in thought. "How did you do that invisible thing, and the jumping from the tree? And where were you this whole time?"

I sighed and explained my new powers and the quests I had been on for Annabeth, which left them both wide-eyed. "Wow. Cool, man." That seemed pretty much all Chris could say. I grinned as we reached the border. I could see everything on the other side, home sweet home. I took a deep breath, excited and ready to have this over with.

"Alright, let's do this." I walked out of the shadows with Clarisse and Chris flanking me, keeping my head down so no one could see under the hoodie. Only a few campers were around, most already at dinner, but the ones that were there gave us funny looks. At least, that's what Chris told me, because the only thing I could see was the ground and my feet. Dang the person who invented not-see-through hoodies. Gods, that sounded weird.

We all continued walking until we were at the entrance to the Mess Hall, which surprised me. We didn't have a mess hall. Oh, well, the Hephaestus kids must have built one. I felt a hand on my back and stiffened, until I realized it was Chiron.

"Thank you, I'll take it from here." Chiron addressed Clarisse and Chris, and the two walked inside the double doors. I began to get nervous as Chiron steered me through the open doorway. What would everyone think? What would their reactions be? I could just _feel_ the eyes of everyone on me, and I began to panic as I wondered where I was going to sit. Wow, I really worry too much nowadays. The Poseidon table would be a dead giveaway, and everyone would probably think of me as a disrespectful jerk.

"_Percy," _Chiron whispered into my ear, as if noticing my concerns, _"sit in the fourth seat from the left."_ I raised my head slightly and scanned the table, seeing the empty seat. I shoved my hands in my pockets as we reached the head table. I walked around to the empty chair and sat, feeling my neighbor's quizzical stares. I glanced up and scanned the Athena table. There, staring at me, was _Annabeth. _Oh my Gods. She was chewing her bottom lip, a focused look on her face, trying to figure out who I was. If only she knew, she looked so…beautiful right now. I almost couldn't resist jumping over the table and running to her, and I would have if Dionysus hadn't started talking.

"I believe I am supposed to say hello to all of you brats, so…hello, brats. It's dinner. Ruin the camp for all I care, and don't interrupt me tonight _no matter what. _Goodbye." Dionysus made to disappear until Chiron leaned over any whispered something in his ear. Dionysus' face took on a look of surprise, but quickly reverted back to the uninterested mask.

"It seems as though one of our old campers has returned to us." Dionysus turned to me and raised an eyebrow. I guess Chiron hadn't told him before now. Taking the look as a signal, I stood up and flipped the hood off. There was silence for a minute flat, in which Dionysus picked his fingernails and did his best to look bored, until one voice rang out.

"PERCY!"

It was Annabeth.

**A/N: So? How is it? It is a little awkward, being a girl writing from a guy POV that likes a girl, because NO, I AM NOT GAY, but I try to manage. Tell me if there are any mistakes, and your opinions on the story. Is anyone **_**really **_**OOC? Are Percy's thoughts really what they should be like? Do you like cheese (because I'm eating some right now)? XD, jk, but really, Read and Review, the button doesn't bite! I need feedback, constructive criticism is wanted but flames will be used to roast my marshmallows, which will probably catch on fire like always *sigh*. I'm planning on putting Sally and Mr. Blofis in later, don't you worry about them! I love you all!**

**REVIEW!**

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	2. Chapter Two

**A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed, I got 12 reviews, awesomeness! That is a lot for the first chapter! Now, on with the story! This is brought to you by my personal hero, Elmo, because he convinced Barney to commit suicide and posed as an elf to murder Santa for the FBI **

**Disclaimer: Rick's world, my playground. Kapiesh? Alright!**

**Chapter 2:**

_**Recap:**_

"_It seems as though one of our old campers has returned to us." Dionysus turned to me and raised an eyebrow. I guess Chiron hadn't told him before now. Taking the look as a signal, I stood up and flipped the hood off. There was silence for a minute flat, in which Dionysus picked his fingernails and did his best to look bored, until one voice rang out._

"_PERCY!"_

_It was Annabeth. _

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Don't Mind me, I'm Just a Little Old Page Break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Oh, crap. I didn't even think about how Annabeth was going to react to all this. Crap crap crap crapcrapcrap…..

Right now my girlfriend was sitting there with her mouth open, staring at me with this half confused and half excited face. All around us I could hear people talking, but all I could focus on was Annabeth, by beautiful and sweet girlfriend. She was so amazing, the same Annabeth as always. It didn't look like she had changed while I was gone, but I needed to know for sure. I needed to know if she missed me as much as I missed her, if anything had happened…Hades forbid, if there was _someone else._ Crap shoot shootshootcrapshoot… I listened in on my neighbors, who were trying, and failing, to have a discreet discussion behind my back. It was two Dionysus kids; one of them looked like he was new…what the other one's name…was it…oh, well. I just listened.

"_Is that, like, really Percy? Like, __the __Percy?" _ The little one's eyes were all wide, and I almost smile. They had no clue I was hearing all this.

I could feel the older kid's eyes in my face, even though I was still staring at my wise girl. MY wise girl, gods I missed her so…_Jackson, focus._

"_Yeah," _I heard the older one say. _"It's him."_

"_OH MY GODS I'M SITTING NEXT TO THE PERCY JACKSON THE ONE THAT SAVED OLYMPUS AND DEFEAT KRON…" _The whole camp stopped and turned to stare at the new camper, who blushed deep red and sank down in his seat. I swear that little kid would have had to be hosed down if his face grew any redder, he was practically glowing. He tried for a sheepish grin, and squeaked. I stared at him for another second before I realized now everyone's eyes were on _me._ Now it was my turn to blush. Well, this was great. _Just great._

"PERSEUS JACKSON!" Annabeth was really angry now, jumping to her feet. She was pretty much being held back by her siblings, she was that furious. Like, steam-comes-out-of-your-ears-and-your-head-pops-off furious. Suddenly, I didn't think she looked _quite _as beautiful as before. More like a demon that wanted to beat me to Tartarus. But she was still my beautiful, smart, and (emphasis on) _temperamental_ Annabeth.

"WHERE HAVE YOU _BEEN? _I SEARCHED FOR A WHOLE FREAKIN' SIX MONTHS BEF…" I cowered. Yes, in front of the entire camp, and I doubt anyone blamed me. She was mad, angry, and I was scared out of my wits, hysterical. This wasn't going down well. Chiron raised his hand for silence, while Annabeth took a deep breath and sat back down, shooting me a glare that said, 'we're gonna talk about this later.' I really hope the stress in that sentence was on _talk._

"Yes, yes, now settle down. Campers! CAMPERS! Yes, now, Percy, please take your seat at your father's table." I grinned. Chiron didn't specifically say _how _to take a seat. It was time to be a bit of a show-off. Using the water vapor around me, I launched myself up and over the table, ducking into a roll at the crest about five feet up. I reached deep inside me and felt the water in my body. Gods, this was going to freak them out.

I began to turn myself into little water molecules, trillions and trillions of them. Just imagine what that Boggart did in the Harry Potter movie to transform and you'll get what I looked like (yes, I watch Harry Potter. You have a problem with that?). I kind of folded in on myself, swirling until it looked like nothing was there. All that was left behind was a little scent of the sea and a bit of water vapor concentration, when in fact I was really traveling in a bunch of little droplets over to my seat. I reappeared a second later as the full Percy Jackson, human, rearranging my molecules into a sitting position. I call it vapor travel **(A/N: Sorry, so clichéd, but it works, right?)**, and only children of Poseidon can do it. Let me tell you, it's just as hard as it sounds. Bringing every single molecule along with you is tough, and putting them in a new position is even tougher. Let's just say the first few times I tried it a few body parts were left behind. That was not a fun day.

I reappeared, sitting calmly in my seat, and everyone jumped three feet in the air. I could see Chiron trying to hide a smile, but Travis was strait-out laughing his head off. Of course, I had already explained all this to him. The little newbies were all staring at me like I was a god, and even all my other friends looked a little spooked-out. I shifted and avoided their eyes, _really _uncomfortable now. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. I sighed, resting my head in my hand and putting my elbow on the table. I wanted this meal to drag out a long time, because afterwards was the real challenge.

Oh, joy, I get to be mobbed by a couple hundred kids. My prayer to my dad that night, accompanied by most of my plate:

_Dad, please, please don't let me die at the hands of a mob. I've gone through too much for that. _I thought I heard some rolling laughter in the distance, but it was probably just my imagination.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Don't Mind me, I'm Just a Little Old Page Break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

I couldn't bear to take another bite. I ate as much as I could, but it was unavoidable. I had to stop and leave sometime, sooner or later. I guess it was now. I stood up, pushed out the bench, and walked out of the dining hall. About half of the campers were still eating, but I could see most of them hurrying, trying to catch up to me. My stomach had shrunk from only eating what I could find for a year, so I managed to down a bowl of tomato soup before giving up. I paused before the huge double doors before shutting my eyes, taking a deep breath, and opening one of the doors, my muscles clenched. I expected a mobbing. Turns out they had something else in mind.

Because no one was there. Or, at least I thought so. Smiling, I walked out of the doors and into the evening light. I took a deep breath of the clean, fresh air, savoring it. I looked around camp again, inspecting it much more closely this time. It looks like my request from the gods was granted; in addition to all of the twelve Olympian cabins, I could see another, much larger semi-circle underway. Some of the cabins already looked done, but some of them barely looked started. I saw one that looked like it was made of swirly mist, not substantial at all; another Suddenly I heard a snicker off to my right, and I spun around just as I saw a bunch of people ducking into the bushes. Suspicious, I backed away, which was a big mistake. I fell, tripped up by…_a trip line? _What the Hades was going on here?

I tried to jump to my feet as swarms, and I mean _swarms_ of kids jumped from the forest and raced towards me. But it was too late. A pair of hands had already grabbed me from behind, and I struggled as four or five campers grabbed each of my limbs, carrying me off to Zeus-knows-where. Scratch that, I doubt even Zeus would know the strange demented ways of the teenage mind. Right now was the perfect time to review my situation:

One: I was being kidnapped by a bunch of demigods, who I thought I could trust but wasn't sure yet

Two: I was immobile

Three: The campers around me were trying to steal quick glances at the 'Hero of Olympus' that I shot back with a glare

Four: I was in deep, deep poo

_This was going to be fun_, I thought as the campers suddenly dropped me. On a hard wooden floor, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to sit for a few days if not for my Achilles Curse. Yup, that's right, I still have it, and I really hope it never goes away, because that thing has saved my hide to many times to count. I sat up, still kind of dazed as some older campers lifted me up into a chair. Looking around, I realized that this was the Athena cabin. Wait; there was Annabeth's bunk, all neat and organized. Just the opposite of mine, or, at least…I think. I don't know what happened while I was gone, but I hoped everyone hadn't gone through all my personal stuff. Some of it is quite embarrassing. I don't know how I would live it down. Annabeth…

I blinked as someone moved in my view, and turned my head to see everyone staring at me. Well, this was awkward. I had been kidnapped again by a bunch of strangers, been set in a chair, and now there was an uncomfortable silence. This was fun and all, but what I really wanted to know is why I was here.

"Hello? Earth to campers?"

They just kept staring. Now I was beginning to get a little pissed. They take me to a random place, and won't talk. Instead, they decide that I'm the entertainment. If all they want to do was stare, then they could brought a camera and snapped a few shots. No way was I going to stay here, not with all the bug eyes. Seriously, it felt like a bunch of spiders were watching me. Actually, that would have been a very, very bad thing, because the Athena cabin would never come in here again if that happened. I started to dissolve to travel to...probably would have been my cabin until I saw a familiar face. Then I reformed and smiled. Now, this was more like it. Grover, my best friend on two shaggy legs was here. I saw the shock on his face, and then I remembered that I had started to vapor travel. It probably looked like I had been a fuzzy shot on the television, because my image wavered as I transformed to water. Oh well, Grover was going to have to deal. I wasn't going to wait any longer to see my best friend.

As I stood up, and the entire group stepped back a few paces in a hurry. Huh, I guess they were both respectful and scared. I liked the respect in that, but not so much the scared part. I'm not a monster; I'm a demigod like them. I decided to meet everybody there and leave a good impression. I still don't know why I was here, but if they didn't want to do anything then I would. They obviously don't get the concept of _kidnapping; _you are supposed to keep the person hostage, not let them stand up and get away. The camp would suck at terrorism.

"Yo, Grover! My man, how's it been?" I gave my lopsided grin and walked over to Grover, the crowd parting, which I filed away to be annoyed at later. Giving him a man hug that he returned, we both smiled. Now, a man hug is where you pat each other's back for a few seconds with a brief embrace. I would lose my manliness if I didn't do it that way, it's very important. Annabeth would call me Seaweed brain for saying that. Gods, Annabeth, I missed her voice so much…

"Percy, it's you! Oh my gods, so much has happened! You wouldn't believe any of it, wait until you see everything! There's, like, a new climbing wall, and Juniper is…" His face suddenly paled as he looked over my shoulder. I turned around and paled too. It was Annabeth, standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips and looking really annoyed. Stalking past me, she flipped her hair, snatched Daedalus' laptop off her pillow, and stomped back out. I was really confused here; why was she acting upset with me? Did I do something, or say anything?

"Follow her, man." I jumped as Grover whispered in my ear and gave me a small pat on the back. "She was really upset when you went."

I gave a small nod and a grin. "Can do. And Grover, we're going to talk later, just you and me. Like old times." I cuffed him on the arm and bent the water around me again so I turned invisible before he could return it. I carefully weaved in between the crowd, careful not to hit anyone, and as I looked back I saw Grover, 'scared' written all over his face as the campers rushed forward, probably asking about how he knew me. I hung my head and shook it, amused. These kids were really obsessed.

I followed Annabeth invisibly and silently, until she reached…wait, this was my favorite spot, on the beach! Why was she here, of all places? I hung out behind a huge pile of driftwood as my girlfriend...well, maybe my girlfriend lay down in the white sand, kicking off her shoes and stretching her arms above her head, making a pillow with intertwining fingers. She closed her eyes in the laid-back position, and I couldn't help but think about how beautiful she was. Not hot, or sexy, but just beautiful. Gosh, I need to expand my vocabulary to describe her. Note to self: get a thesaurus.

"Seaweed brain, you might as well some out." I jumped as she spoke without moving anything but her lips. My cheeks burned as I let my invisible shield go and stepped out from behind the pile of wood. Without smiling she patted the sand next to her, and I walked over and lay down by her side. It was a few minutes before I spoke.

"How did you know I was here?"

The side of her mouth quirked. Maybe she wasn't as upset as I thought.

"Your little invisibility trick doesn't come with a shadow block, does it?" I cursed in my head; of course, my shadow would still appear when I was invisible, because there was still a figure blocking the sun's rays from reaching the ground. I made another mental note: make sure to cover up shadow when invisible. It was pure luck that the weakness hadn't been discovered before now. I tilted my head up and watched the sunset for a while. See, this is what I missed about Camp. Being able to just sit back, relax, and watch the beauty around me was impossible on my quest. Now I had all the time in the world, and I was grateful for it. I've had enough quests for an immortal life, let along my mortal one.

Finally Annabeth sighed and sat up, pulling her knees up and resting her head on her chin. I sat up too, bracing by hands behind me and leaning slightly back, staring at the back of her head. How the Hades did she get her hair to curl that perfectly?

Annabeth mumbled something that I didn't catch, so I leaned forward, weirdly getting a sense of…pride, maybe? Something close to pride as she shivered when my breath ticked her neck.

"What did you say?" I used a playful tone, which I instantly regretted when she twisted to look at me. Her eyes were full of sadness, grief, and unimaginable pain. The storms in her eyes had turned to weak clouds, broken and scattered. Looking at her like this almost made my heart break. Wait, since when am I this good with metaphors?

"Why did you leave?"

The question hit me like a blow, and I looked down at my feet, unable to meet those eyes. I sighed under my breath and leaned back, burying my head in the soft, warm sand of the evening. I began my tale, and finished with arriving at camp, where Travis and the little midget Apollo found me. I sat up, watching Annabeth for a reaction. Her eyes were closed, her eyebrows furrowed and her face to the ground. She finally looked up and out over the sunset, and then at my eyes.

Oh my Gods.

Her eyes were two endless pools of storms again, raging fierce and proud. I saw my old Annabeth in those eyes right then, and I knew in an instant that I was at last home, because home is where my heart is. And right then my heart was with Annabeth.

"You disappeared for me? Nothing else? Not to get away, or go…" She stopped and took a deep breath. "My mother made you do it?" I nodded, glad that she understood. She turned to look again at the fading sun, which was almost below the horizon. Suddenly I had the insane urge to kiss her, then and there. Gulping (loudly), I scoot over to sit next to her side, our arms touching. She looked at me in surprise, and then froze when she saw my eyes. I tried to tell her how I felt in that one glance, and her stare screamed back at me _kiss me, you fool! _I closed my eyelids and leaned forwards, hearing her breathing in my ear. …

Instead of meeting those soft, perfect lips, I felt a splatter of something rough in my face. Huh? I opened my eyes to find her doubled over, laughing so hard that I thought she was suffocating.

It seems like my girlfriend thinks it is funny to throw sand in my face during an emotional moment. She has a great sense of humor, right?

Annabeth rolled around in the sand, snorting her head off while I stared like an idiot. She was finally able to speak.

"Zeus almighty, that was _hilarious!_ You should have seen your face!" She started all over again at the memory, clutching her stomach and trying to breathe.

Ha-ha.

I suddenly got a great idea, a very _devilish_ one. Annabeth stopped laughing as I got to my feet, and began to run away and I sprinted towards her. Of course, I was faster, and I reached her before she even got to the trees. I scooped her up in a fireman's lift while she beat her fists on my back. If I didn't have my curse I'm pretty sure I would have dropped her. Man, that girl can hit, but I love her all the more for it.

I chuckled as I carried her to the water, because she really wasn't going to like this, and I was going to be in so much trouble. But I didn't care. Cackling, I waded in waist high to the ocean, feeling unwanted strength in my limbs. I slung her back over my shoulder, held her bridal style, and with a heave threw her out far into the sea. I couldn't help but laugh at her helplessness and the insults she threw.

"Manhandling! You manhandled me, Jackson! Child abuse, CHILD ABUSE! You Seawe…" She was cut off as her head dunked under the waves. Oh man, I should learn to carry a camera on me. There had been too many priceless moments in my life in the last 24 hours for me to count…on one hand, that is.

I laughed as she threw her head above the waves, gasping for breath. Okay, maybe it was wrong of me to use my powers to keep her under, but the opportunity slapped me in the face, and I had to pay attention. Soon the little joke turned into an all-out war, me with my powers and Annabeth with her smarts. Not surprisingly, she beat me just as we saw a figure run up the beach. Typical.

"PERCY, ANNABETH! CAMPFIRE!" I recognized Connor's voice, even from here. Laughing, we both waded out of the tide, her dripping wet and me as dry as…the drying machine in your laundry room. (Okay, I suck at metaphors, deal)With a snap of my fingers I turned her dry, and the next thing I knew she was kissing me. I stiffened in shock, then relaxed and leaned into it just as she broke away. I almost groaned, she was such a tease. She smirked at my predicament.

"Now I don't owe you anymore, Seaweed brain." She smirked even wider at my speechlessness while I tried to pick my jaw up off the floor. Wow, Annabeth kissed me. I will now die a happy man. I was too dazed to see her take off running towards the smoke column rising from the arena until she was fifty yards away. I grinned and took off after her. I could have always vapor traveled, but I didn't want to freak out any campers. Again.

And it was just fun to run through the forest after your beautiful girlfriend, without a care in the world.

We raced to the arena, and I let her win, partly because I thought it was all gentleman-like and also because I knew she would kick my butt if I beat her. She may be my girlfriend, but she wasn't afraid to get down and hammer me, because she knew about my Achilles spot and could make me beg for mercy. But I never regret telling her where my only weakness is, because I love her.

We walked into the arena from the woods and not the entrance, holding hands, and I felt very small as everyone stared. I thought I heard a whistle, but it was probably my imagination. Anyway, it had better be, because I'm still a little shy when it comes to sharing my relationship with everyone. I stood there like a deer in the headlights, blushing until Annabeth kissed me on the cheek and left to sit down next to her siblings. I saw her assailed by her sisters, her answering every question they could think of. I smiled and walked over to my seat, up on the top row and third seat from the left. I leaned back against the natural dirt cliff wall and relaxed for about a minute, until I heard the dim sound of hooves meeting dirt. I sat up and opened my eyes just as Chiron cantered into the arena, taking his place in between us and the bonfire, which was a bright yellow and about as tall as…well, me. Chiron raised his hand for silence, and immediately a hush fell over the crowd, and Chiron smiled.

"Well, another campfire children! In honor of our returned Son of Poseidon, Percy Jackson," I flushed as everyone cheered, "We will tell the story of how he came to obtain his Achilles Curse!" Everyone cheered even louder; I guess this story wasn't told that often. In fact, it was only me and Nico there, so I'm guessing he is the only one who told the story.

"Percy, would you like to tell us the tale?" I was jerked from my thoughts as Chiron asked me the question, and everyone began to chant _do it, do it! _louder and louder until I had to raise my hand. Everyone quieted down even faster than they had for our favorite centaur. They all looked at me with eager faces, obviously waiting for me to start. I got a brilliant idea.

"How about I show you?" I didn't really need to do this, but for dramatic effect I waved my hand in front of my face, my arm locked and palm facing out. The air shimmered with water, and a glowing rainbow appeared by the bonfire, about ten feet tall and fifteen feet wide. The flames jumped a good three feet as the campers looked shocked. They should expect it, though; I am a son of the _Sea _god.

On my quest I had taken a detour to help Iris with her backed-up messages, and now she lets me make any IM I want for free. It's a pretty sweet deal.

"Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show me…the day Hades was defeated." Immediately a voice chimed from the water wall five feet in the air.

"_Of course, Percy." _Everyone looked surprised when my name was said. Oh, well, I'll explain it later.

Immediately fancy writing appeared, replacing the rainbow made by the water wall with the words 'The Day Hades Was Defeated'. Suddenly the ground shook and a bright flash of light appeared.

The gods were here.

They calmly sat down on the front row of benches that had magically appeared there a second before. I smiled; of course the gods would want to see this. Some of the campers looked like they had craped themselves, and some were about ready to keel over. I sighed and brought my legs up into a crisscross, and waited for the movie to begin. I heard some muttering, and listened in. It was Hades.

"_I still don't know why we have to watch this one. It's so humiliating."_ I grinned.

Let the show go on.

**A/N: So, what do you think? Review! And I just started flight school, where we learn to fly airplanes, so updates will now take 1-1 ½ weeks, maybe 2 if I have a lot of homework. Yes, I'm thirteen, but you can't start too young, right? After the story is done I might make a sequel of Percy's quest that Athena made him do, but probably not. Unless you guys really want it. In other words, review! I want your opinions, and constructive criticism is needed! Was anyone OOC? Are there and minor characters (besides Nico, Thalia, Rachael, etc…) that you want in the story? Tell me, review! Oh, and does anyone have a good non-clichéd name for vapor travel? I need something new, because vapor travel sounds boring and it is so overused. This was kind of a filler chapter, the action is coming soon! Also, I'm looking for a good Beta, so PM me if you want to be him/her! **


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N: I am the worst Fanfiction author ever. I've got a myriad of excuses as to why I haven't updated, but you probably just want to read. Special thanks goes to Linku1260, for making me aware at just how long it has been and how much I need to update. And, so, Linku1260, this chapter is for you. And I really hope you are not a stalker! I'm off my butt! XD Ok, first fight scene, tell me how I did. In other words, REVIEW!**

**Song of the Update: Warzone by The Wanted. Best. Song. EVER. (To a teenager addicted to techno crap. Like me :D)**

**This is the unbeta-ed version of chapter 3. Stay tuned for the beta-ed version! Beta-ed is not a word! Neither is unbeta-ed! Yay! Coining words is fun! Reading this probably isn't!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO. Because I'm sure Riordan makes Fanfics on his own story. Pfffttttt.**

**Chapter 3**

_Recap:_

_"Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show me…the day Hades was defeated." Immediately a voice chimed from the water wall five feet in the air._

_"__Of course, Percy." __Everyone looked surprised when my name was said. Oh, well, I'll explain it later._

_Immediately fancy writing appeared, replacing the rainbow made by the water wall with the words 'The Day Hades Was Defeated'. Suddenly the ground shook and a bright flash of light appeared._

_The gods were here._

_They calmly sat down on the front row of benches that had magically appeared there a second before. I smiled; of course the gods would want to see this. Some of the campers looked like they had craped themselves, and some were about ready to keel over. I sighed and brought my legs up into a crisscross, and waited for the movie to begin. I heard some muttering, and listened in. It was Hades._

_"__I still don't know why we have to watch this one. It's so humiliating."__ I grinned._

_Let the show go on._

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Page Break, let us all Break Dance!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

I watched as the screen wavered. Nico and I both came into sight, me brandishing my sword like an extra-large monster toothpick. The spirits of the underworld leapt out of our way away, cowering from the sight of the celestial bronze sword like it was their doom. Which I kind of guess it was.

Nico looked really tired, and I smiled, thinking how much his powers used to drain him. Setting his dad's minions to sleep used to knock him out, but now it's no sweat. At least, I think. That was a year ago. Gods, I am so out of it. Another thing on my mental checklist: _find out everything ._Wow, talk about vague.

Anyway, the entire camp watched as I took that little dip in the Styx, Nico just blushing as he watched himself get all worried over me as I flew, literally _flew _out of the Styx. I have to admit, the whole thing was pretty fun to watch. The campers all gasped in the right places, groaned in others, and cheered after I slashed Hades' army to pieces. I think Hades got a few dirty looks when he transported from my death grasp on the screen, but we all took it in stride, even Death Dude (my new SECRET name for Hades). The message disappeared as I ran away to go find Kronos.

The camp was silent for a few seconds, and I began to wonder if they liked it. Was the story boring? Did I do something wrong? Apparently not, because an instant later I was mobbed by cheering, and a _whole _lot of questions. Gods, the 'movie' wasn't _that_ good! It's not like every day someone defeats Hades, but I really didn't think it called for a fifteen-foot bonfire. In fact, there was so much noise that we didn't hear the screaming until Zeus yelled for quiet, because of course the God's hearing is better than ours. But there it was, a high-pitched shrill that almost shattered my eardrums. Okay, maybe that's a little exaggerated, but _man could that girl scream. _

We all turned as a little camper ran to the arena, probably only eleven or so. She stopped screaming and stared at me for a second. She had a head full of dirty blonde hair and dark blue, scheming eyes. I guessed a child of Hermes. Gods, what was it with all the Hermes campers? It seemed like half the camp was made of them! I focused, realizing that something very important must be happening for a child of Hermes to be caught dead screaming. They hate it, you know. Prefer the stealth route of things.

"It's the border! The monsters! They attacked!" The girl collapsed, panting like crazy.

And with that the entire amphitheater fell in chaos. **(A/N: Haha, get it? Chaos? No? Ok, then…)**

Every single camper jumped to their feet, trying to run to their weapons in the cabins. As you can imagine, it was a total mess. Even I, being the royal seaweed brain that I am, knew it would be pointless to try and get out of there the regular way. I jumped up on my seat and looked around, meeting eyes with Nico. All it took was that one glance, and we both knew what to do. Instantly we both vaporized, Nico using shadow travel and me using vapor travel. I landed about five feet above my cabin roof, crashing down onto the hard stone. Yeah, I know. I need to practice. My travel isn't always…_accurate, _per say. I got pretty lucky with the whole dinner thing.

I ended up rolling off the edge, crashing on the hard ground below. I'm sure that without my Achilles curse something would have broken. Anyway, I ran in and grabbed Tyson's shield. Technically it was mine, but still…he made it…so I like to think of it as a joint-ownership-thing. Ish. I already had Riptide on me, since there's only one way to leave it behind, and even Athena doesn't know it. Only me, and probably Hercules, may he R.I.P. Otherwise that witc-I mean, _Athena _would have made me leave it behind. I'm sure of it.

I ran back outside, only to find a complete mess. It seemed that somehow, someway, the monsters had been able to break through camp borders. How, I don't know. The only thing on my mind was that I _wanted them_ _out. _I raised Riptide high with a yell, only to realize that it was still in pen form. All the nearest monsters and campers stopped fighting and looked at me. I can just imagine it: the savior of Olympus, saving the world with his pen. I could see the young campers gaping at me with their jaws open. They were probably thinking, _who is this freak? _The older campers, even Nico I saw, were trying (unsuccessfully) to keep from laughing. It was the middle of a battle, for Hade's sake. I blushed a deep beet red, and uncapped my sword, swinging it through the nearest monster. That got them all back on the moment at hand.

With a cry I ran out onto the battlefield, ducking and slashing. I wove a path of destruction, Riptide a deadly arc, my shield standing even the strongest blows. Of course, my invulnerability helped a little. My mind was on autopilot, guided by years of experience; _duck now, slash, parry, and THRUST! _Riptide entered the stomach of an enemy demigod. Wait-enemy demigod? The only demigods not on our side were with…

Oh, Zeus. This is _not _good.

_Kronos._

I needed to get to Chiron right away. Suddenly, a flash of something bright caught my eye. It looked like just another monster, but I could tell that this one was different. It kind of looked like a hellhound, but…how do I explain this…albino and some human, I guess. It was a hellhound, but a really light gray. Almost white, in fact. And imagine the most hideous face ever…then multiply it by ten…and then _another_ ten, and that's how ugly this guy was. Really, he would be on the front of _Losers Weekly._

I felt a back press against mine, and without hesitation I swung, twisting at the same time. Riptide was parried, but then I saw who it was, and I grinned sheepishly. Of course, Annabeth would know where I would need…protection. Annabeth just smirked.

"Jumpy are we, seaweed brain?"

"Nope. Just defeating ugly things…oh wait, that's just your face. Never mind." I smirked back until she slammed her shield in _my_ face. Gods, that hurt!

I was about to yell some really not-so-PG things at her when her eyes widened. I knew right then what that meant, so I hit the deck. A sword thrust powerfully above me, right where the small of my back had been a second before. I heard a choking noise, and looked up to the worst sight I have ever seen.

Annabeth, an expression between surprises and pain plastered on her face…

And a sword, sticking strait out of her stomach. I froze, staring at my worst nightmare come to life.

"NO!" I screamed. I felt anger and disbelief course through my entire body, filling me with strength and power. With a cry, I turned myself into water. A water Percy. I flipped myself over backwards off the ground three feet, bending and stretching my watery body until it became shaped like a comet, a blunt head with a sharp tail behind. I slammed into the attacker, knocking it back a good twenty feet into a tree. It was the albino hellhound, but changed. Now it had human hands, and feet. Wow, cover of _Losers Weekly _for the rest of time. And _Ugly Monthly._

Then something happened that I didn't expect. The beast-thing let out a short laugh, half human and half hound. I reformed my body, but stayed as water, realizing that this could have potential advantages.

I watched in horror as the beast began to change. Thick, furry, muscled arms exchanged for tan, muscled, human ones; powerful hind legs for forward-kneed, skinned ones, a horizontal body for a armor-clad, upright figure, a tail for a bu…I'm just gonna stop there. I watched as the mutant monster changed into…

Hyperion. I immediately charged, holding Riptide high above my head, my shield covering from my mid-thighs to my chest. Oh, Gods. This was going to be a hard battle.

I barely managed to reach the titan before he exploded…not literally, but it seemed like it. A bright light burst from Hyperion, and I screeched to a halt, covering my half-blinded eyes. I blinked several times, and caught sight of Hyperion swinging his sword at me just in time. I ducked from reflex, even though I knew the sword couldn't hurt me. I was invincible, right?

Not.

I stared in shock at my arm, which was dripping half-golden, half-red blood. My Achilles curse must have changed some of my blood to the golden ichor of the gods. I gasped, not so much from the pain. It was only a light graze, but the wound shocked me. I was vaguely aware of the campers gathered around us in a huge circle. The monsters must have been destroyed.

I looked up to find Hyperion…laughing! That female dog! Now I was _mad._ And not the I-am-crazy-and-will-play-my-toothbrush-like-a-guitar mad, but I-will-PULVERIZE-THE-LIVING-DAYLIGHTS-OUT-OF-YOU-_AND_-YOUR-GRANNY'S-TOOTHBRUSH-GUITAR-THING mad.

I yelled something indecipherable and charged that crappy, powerful titan with everything I had. Time seemed to slow-and maybe it did (Kronos?)-as I swung my sword. Hyperion intercepted with his shield, and a flash of sparks exploded from metal on metal. I swung a roundhouse kick for his head. He ducked, stabbing at me with his sword. I could see now that the weapon resembled backbiter, Kronos' sword, but it didn't have that-_aura_-yeah, aura-of power.

I bent, caving over backwards, my chest parallel to the ground-just as the titan's sword swept over my head. It wasn't even an inch over my nose, and I could feel the breeze passing. Hades, that was _way too close._ Since when did Hyperion get so fast?

I decided that if Hyperion could use some new advantages, that I could use some too. I concentrated for a split second, feeling all the molecules in my body. I focused hard and rearranged them, forming myself into a sphere of water, and I hovered around eight feet or so off the ground. I heard a gasp from all the campers in the background. Well, it really shouldn't have been that much of a surprise; after all, I _am _the son of Poseidon. And no, I did not get a big head while I was gone. Well, maybe a _little_ bit of a big head. But not a lot! Although, Thalia would probably disagree…then blast me with lightning. Focus, Percy, focus.

If I had had a mouth, I would have been grinning right then, because I was ready to scare the crap out of everyone. I focused on all the molecules in my body (again), and I made the water reflect light, pulsating it to match what I was about to do. Then I began to…well, I wouldn't exactly call it _speaking, _per say, but more like…throwing sound out in a way that people understand as words. It's confusing, I know, but imagine a hovering water ball, speaking without a mouth and pulsating light at the same time. Yeah, that's what I was. Cool, huh?

"Why are you here, Hyperion?" Now he looked freaked out, and I couldn't help but laugh. It came out as sort of a brass-ish bell sound.

"Scared? Is that what I see, a Titan _scared_ by a mere demigod_?"_ I mocked him. This was fun, because I could see the rage in his eyes held back only by the fear of my new powers. He didn't know what else I could do.

I could literally see the internal battle as his caution fought the inner rage of my taunting. I decided to push it a little further; I wanted him to attack, because I _knew_ that I could beat him when I felt like this, with so much power in me. Seriously, I felt like the Hulk or something.

"Oh, Hyperion," I said, my voice like the wind, "I never thought I would say this, but I feel _sorry _for you. You must feel so weak, to be afraid of a _demigod."_ Okay, I admit it's not my best taunt ever, but it seemed to work, because Hyperion decided to play do-do brain and charged me with a bellow loud enough to shake the earth. Gods, he's stupid.

I waited until the last split-second, then…levitated, I guess, up high in the air, letting Light Bulb Boy (see what I did there? Hyperion is the titan of light, and light bulbs give off light? No? Okay, then…I admit, seaweed brain is a good name) run right past me. I was almost ready to laugh out loud, this was so funny. I really thought the titan would be more of a challenge. A small thought nudged at the edge of my mind, but I didn't let it in. I had to stay focused. Well, as focused as _I _can be. But…why would he run past? I'm pretty sure he could have jumped this high if he had wanted to. And why in Hades would he try attacking a ball of water? Oh, no, it's a sharp sword! How about…I let it pass through me? Psh.

Then I thought about who was behind me. What he could be rushing for. Then my blood ran cold (figuratively, of course, since I didn't _have _any blood). Oh, Styx.

Annabeth. He was going for Annabeth, an _injured _Annabeth. Crap.

**A/N: Ok, that was a cliffy for a reason. It's…a teaser. Yes, the only reason I'm posting it is so I'll be forced to get off my lazy butt and update the full chapter. That I have yet to write. *Sigh* This is pretty much so you guys will force me with your expectations to update. So I won't procrastinate any longer. In other words, REVIEW AND FORCE ME TO UPDATE THE FULL CHAPTER. THANK YOU. GOT TO GO FIND SOME PEACHES NOW…**


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